1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to voice communication and, more specifically, to automated volume control to compensate for variable ambient noise levels.
2. Background of the Invention
Mobile telephones (or generally, mobile communications devices) have become ubiquitous; they show up in almost every environment. They are used in the home, at the office, in the car, on a train, at the airport, at the beach, at restaurants and bars, on the street, and almost any other imaginable venue. As might be expected, these diverse environments have relatively higher and lower levels of background or ambient noise. For example, there is generally less noise in a quiet home than there is in a crowded bar. Therefore, depending on the particular environment and its associated ambient noise level, it may be more or less difficult for the user of the mobile telephone to hear what another party is saying over the mobile telephone connection.
While some mobile telephones include a variable volume feature, it is up to the user of the mobile telephone to manually adjust the volume to a level that is sufficient to maintain a conversation or to successfully hear what is being transmitted.
Manual volume control is particularly disadvantageous when, for example, a mobile telephone user moves from one environment with a first level of ambient noise to a second environment with a second level of ambient noise. The user of the mobile telephone must adjust the volume to maintain a comfortably loud volume from the speaker of the mobile telephone. Similarly, some environments, such as sporting events, will have continually varying levels of ambient noise. Accordingly, it is very inconvenient, if not impossible, to properly adjust the volume of the mobile telephone speaker, in a timely manner, to properly compensate, comfortably, for the variable background or ambient noise. Further, it may also be dangerous to manually adjust volume while driving.